As ever, the action in La Liga has overshadowed the goings-on of the Spanish national team. And given the nail-biting finish to one of the most exciting La Liga seasons in years, this year’s June international break is being met with downright derision, says ESPN Soccernet’s Phil Ball. Why? On the one hand, Spain is […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Reborn Johnson Bags Second POW Award
The Kansas City Wizards have come out of the gate on fire in this early stage of the MLS season, thanks in large part to the vastly improved play of young Eddie Johnson. He rightly earned Player of the Week honors for scoring three goals including the winner against then-league leader New England Revolution in […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Israeli Phenom Leads Euro 2008 Charge
Israeli striker Ben Sahar of Chelsea barely stepped foot on the field for the Blues last season; the talented 17-year-old striker made his debut on Jan. 6 against Macclesfield Town in an FA Cup match. He played in his first Premier League game against Wigan Athletic one week later. As the English season entered crunch […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Tremors in San Jose; Fire eyes Chilean star
Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney provides the latest on efforts to bring back the Earthquakes and the Chicago Fire’s courtship with Chilean legend Marcelo Salas …
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MLS STATISTICS: Who’s to blame for the goal dearth?
Kansas City’s 4-3 win over New England last Saturday was the highest scoring game of the 2007 season, but MLS goalscoring so far this year remains just barely over 2.5 goals per game. In fact, five teams have scored fewer than one goal per game. The lowest-scoring team in the league is none other than defending champ Houston, which has mustered just five goals in eight games. Just slightly worse in futility in front of the net are Columbus, Toronto, Real Salt Lake and Chicago. New England and Kansas City are tops, scoring at a rate of two goals per game. For up-to-date MLS standings, schedules, leading scorers, attendance and goalscoring averages …
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OFF THE POST: Worst free kick ever?
[VIDEO] The British Web site “Who ate all the pies” hailed this free kick by New England’s Khano Smith against Kansas City as the worst ever taken by a pro – and Revs coach Steve Nicol seemed to agree.
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Four newcomers included in U.S. roster for China game
[ROSTER] U.S. coach Bob Bradley‘s 19-man roster for Saturday’s friendly against China includes 11 European-based players who are also on the USA’s Gold Cup roster and four national team newcomers: Lee Nguyen (PSV Eindhoven/Netherlands), Kamani Hill (Wolfsburg/Germany), Charlie Davies (Hammarby/Sweden), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA). The contingent of MLS players for the China game is limited to Chivas USA players because Chivas does not have a game this weekend. The squad’s most experienced players are Kasey Keller, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Oguchi Onyewu and Ante Razov
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
"He is the anti-Beckham. He is not handsome. He is not a millionaire. He is not married to a Hollywood star. He has a hunchback. He has a strange hairdo. But he is arriving in the perfect city at the perfect time for him. When he takes the field, the Mexicans aren’t going to say, ‘Look at the goal Temoc Blanco scored.’ They will say, ‘Look at the goal we scored.'”
— Jose Ramon Fernandez, a sports commentator for Grupo Monitor radio, on Mexican star Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who will join the Chicago Fire and is MLS’s second-highest paid “designated player” after Los Angeles-bound David Beckham. (Chicago Tribune)
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U.S. Open Cup first-round draw released
[DRAW] The 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup begins June 12-16 with 16 first-round matches involving teams from the USL-1, USL-2, PDL and USASA. The winners face off in the second round on June 26. The eight survivors meet the eight MLS entrants in the third round. For first-round matchups …
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CONCACAF releases Gold Cup rosters
[GOLD CUP ROSTERS] CONCACAF released the final rosters for all 12 teams that will compete in the 2007 Gold Cup June 6-24 at six U.S. venues. The roster for each team consists of 23 players. A player may only be substituted in the event of a serious injury up until 24 hours before the team’s first match. For complete rosters …
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Gold Cup teams to take 22 MLS players
[MAKING A LIST] Twenty-two MLS players were called up for the 2007 Gold Cup. Expansion Toronto FC led all teams with four players (including Chris Pozniak whom Canada is listing as a “reserve.”). New York (which shares the overall MLS lead with New England), D.C. United (last year’s regular-season champion, D.C. United) and Real Salt Lake were the only MLS teams not to have anyone called up for the Gold Cup. The list of 22 players includes Amado Guevara, who is persona non grata at Chivas USA, but not Mexican Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who will later join Chicago from Club America. In addition, six Gold Cup players play in the USL-1.
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Dispute depletes T&T squad for the Gold Cup
Trinidad & Tobago will send a depleted roster to the Gold Cup, where it will face the USA in the first round. All 2006 World Cup veterans playing abroad won’t be playing because of a dispute with the T&T federation over World Cup bonuses. Dwight Yorke, the T&T captain at the 2006 World Cup, turned down an offer to return to the national team. His decision not to come out of international retirement a second time was reportedly to support his World Cup teammates who are currently locked in a dispute over bonuses with the T&T federation.
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Canada calls up seven MLS players for the Gold Cup
Canada called up 20 players and three reserves for the 2007 Gold Cup, which starts on June 6. Canada’s 20-player roster includes six players from MLS teams — three from Toronto FC two from the Los Angeles Galaxy and one from the Houston Dynamo — and three USL players — two from the Montreal Impact and Martin Nash, brother of NBA star Steve Nash, from the champion Vancouver Whitecaps. The only uncapped player is Antonio Ribeiro of the Impact. Toronto FC captain Jim Brennan turned down an invitation to play for Canada to concentrate on MLS play.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Nearly a Third of MLS Players Scrape By
Peter Grathoff of the Kansas City Star takes another close look at the great divide in MLS player salaries. He tells the story of Kansas City Wizards midfielder Jack Jewsbury-he’s having a great season by the way-who used to take home $380 every two weeks as a so-called developmental player. As Grathoff points out, “they […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Toni to Swap Viola for Bayern Munich
Luca Toni is set to become one of the more high-profile players to move this summer, as Fiorentina, his employer for the last two seasons, told the striker he was free to leave. The release is understood to be the wish of the player. Toni, 30, is already being linked with a move to Bayern […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
The End of Affair in Italy, or is It?
The title decided long ago, Serie A ended quietly on Sunday, as the Flying Donkeys from Chievo Verona answered the last of this season’s (on-field) questions with a relegation-worthy 2-0 defeat to Catania Calcio on Sunday. The three other clubs also facing the drop rose to the occasion, too: Claudio Ranieri’s Parma beat Empoli, 3-1, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Beckham and MLS: What Publicity Stunt?
Becks is being brought to America’s shores to ensure that those soccer-lovers who’ve turned up their noses at Major League Soccer, stop and smell the roses over here. On-field, the product is getting better and better, and given his recent form, it will be much better once David Beckham arrives. Indeed, “the best thing about […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
The Return of England’s Prodigal Son
Sam Wallace of the Independent says David Beckham’s recall to Steve McClaren’s England, “a momentous occasion in English football history,” which comes nearly a year after he “gave up the captaincy in front of the world’s press for the most dramatic public abdication since Edward VIII,” was almost eerily low-key. And why is that? Maybe, […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer On TV
Libertadores Cup semifinal play (Fox Sports en Espanol) highlights the midweek television action. England takes on Brazil in a friendly on Friday (Fox Soccer Channel). On Saturday, Coach Bob Bradley, in his first game without the interim label, guides the USA in a friendly against China. Setanta USA and Fox Soccer Channel provide broadcasts of European Championship qualifying on Saturday.
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Eddie Johnson hat trick highlights MLS Week 8
Eddie Johnson led the Wizards back from a 2-0 deficit with a hat trick to beat the Revs, 4-3. Toronto FC earned its first road goals and initial road point of the season by tying the Crew, 2-2. Reigning league MVP Christian Gomez awoke to lead D.C. United past Houston, 2-1, with a goal and an assist. Chivas USA strikers Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov each netted once to down FC Dallas, 2-0. Colorado took advantage of a Kyle Martino ejection to edge the Galaxy, 1-0. The Fire halted its four-game losing streak but did little else by lurching to a 0-0 home tie against Real Salt Lake. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney recaps all the Memorial Day weekend MLS action …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“We didn’t have the luck to be born anywhere else. We have to play sports wherever we are.”
— Bolivian soccer fan Ruben Cuenca reacts to FIFA’s ban on international games at venues above 8,200 feet sea level. The ban prevents Bolivia from playing World Cup qualifiers in La Paz, which lies 11,800 feet above sea level, and prohibits games in the capitals of Colombia and Ecuador and in the hometowns of major clubs in Mexico and Peru. (New York Times)
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Nomads claim first Red Bull National League under-17 boys title
The Nomads of La Jolla, Calif., downed Southern California rival Arsenal FC, 3-2, Monday to win the first-ever Red Bull National League under-17 boys title. Jose Torres‘ half-volley opened the scoring in the 16th minute of the final and added a second in the 63rd minute. Jeo Sandez also scored for the Nomads. Rafa Baca and Norberto Ochoa scored for Arsenal in the second half, but a penalty-kick save by Nomads goalkeeper Chris Blais in the 75th minute sealed the victory.
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China names team for friendly against USA
[CHINA ROSTER] China is headed to the United States to face the U.S. national team and two MLS clubs with a squad that will be without players from Shandong Luneng and Shanghai Shenhua. China play the USA in an international friendly on Saturday and will meet the Los Angeles Galaxy on June 5 and Colorado Rapids five days later.
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Carolina snaps Vancouver’s 16-game USL unbeaten streak
[USL RESULTS] The expansion Carolina RailHawks handed the defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps their first loss of the season with a 1-0 win on Friday night. Carolina won on a Connally Edozien goal in the 57th minute. The loss snapped a 16-game unbeaten streak for the 4-1-2 Whitecaps. The Montreal Impact improved to 4-0-2 with a 1-0 win over Miami FC on Friday in front of 11,873 fans. Ivorian Charles Gbeke score the game’s only goal to beat Miami for the second time this season.
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Chievo’s Flying Donkeys crash in Serie A finale
Chievo Verona, one of the best small clubs in recent European history, was relegated from Italy’s Serie A on Sunday, the final day of the season, after a 2-0 loss to Catania and Siena’s 2-1 win over Lazio. Five sides were battling to avoid the final relegation spot on the last day, but Chievo was the only team that failed to win and was thus condemned to the drop. Siena was five minutes from going down when Paolo Negro tapped in their winner. Parma (3-1 winner over Empoli) and Reggina (2-0 winner over a depleted AC Milan) also survived.